Wednesday, June 4, 2014

May Reading

Another month gone by, another little stack of books read. Feel free to follow me on Goodreads if you’d like to keep up with what I’m reading (and planning to read!).

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood (Jennifer Senior)I’m not a huge reader of nonfiction (I wish I was, but I always find myself getting bored, even while reading about an interesting subject, and turning back to fluffy fiction instead), but I loved this book that turned the standard parenting books upside-down: what effect do kids have on their parents? What does raising children do to your marriage, your career, your sense of self, your life? I’ve rarely been so totally fascinated by a book before (especially nonfiction!) and I think I probably ended up reading half of it aloud to Jeff because it was impossible to keep all the riveting information to myself. I rated it 4/5 stars only because I lost interest toward the end, as it moved from looking at parents of younger kids to parents of older kids—I found the look at people in my stage of life more applicable and interesting. Absolutely fascinating, and a must-read if you have ever felt like you were losing your mind as a parent of a young child (so, that covers just about everybody, I assume?).

I Shall Be Near to You (Erin Lindsay McCabe)Strong-willed Rosetta is opposed to her new husband Jeremiah enlisting to fight in the Civil War, so she disguises herself as a man to fight alongside him. While the premise was incredibly interesting (and, remarkably, inspired by letters of an actual female Civil War soldier), this novel fell flat for me. I found it boring and predictable, and none of the characters felt vibrant or realistic or alive to me. But despite my apathy towards this book (I rated it 2/5 stars), it made me want to learn more about female soldiers in the Civil War—did you know an estimated 400-750 women fought? I had no idea. Incredible.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (Gabrielle Zevin)I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with books that target book-lovers. On the one hand, it can be so fun to see titles you recognize and authors you love being mentioned and discussed and loved by the characters. But on the other hand, I feel that these ‘books for book-lovers’ sometimes lack great writing and great characters and great content, relying instead on the mere fact that you, as a book-lover, will love this book-lovers’ book, no questions asked. This novel about the owner of a small bookshop whose connection to books seems to be all he has left in life falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum for me. Did I enjoy the story? Yes. Did I enjoy seeing books I love referenced in the story? Absolutely. Was it a great novel? No. It was cute and fun and enjoyable and I certainly don’t feel like I wasted my time on it, but I never really fell hard for it. I’d give it 3/5 stars.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Roald Dahl)Mr. Fox has been stealing from 3 nasty farmers, and now they are determined to catch him and put a stop to his shenanigans. I loved Roald Dahl as a kid, but this one somehow flew under my radar until now. I needed to listen to something while cleaning earlier this month, and this fit the bill perfectly. It’s far from my favorite Roald Dahl, but it was cute and enjoyable and very quick to listen to, and the narrator was absolutely fantastic. A solid 3/5 stars.

Garden Spells (Sarah Addison Allen)Claire Waverley lives in relative isolation, reclusing herself from her small Southern town and building a catering business that utilizes the plants and flowers she grows herself in her garden, rumored to have magical properties. When her sister, who disappeared from her life 10 years before, returns to town with a daughter in tow, she struggles to reframe her life around their reappearance. I loved this book. Loved it. It was enchanting and magical and engrossing, and I sped through it in 2 evenings. It wasn’t perfect—the characters left a little to be desired, the romances were so cheesy it was embarrassing, and there was more than a little sex (just a heads up if that bugs you—it wasn’t graphic or inappropriate, but it was there). But I loved the garden and Claire’s relationship with it, the mystical town, and the lovely writing. 4/5 stars. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some of her other books!

23 comments
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This may be silly, but how do you listen to books. Headphones? Though your library? I figured while you were crocheting it could just be through a computer/ipad/whatever, but your comment about cleaning has me wondering.

I can't believe you've never read Fantastic Mr Fox?! It's a great story! Did you see the movie that came out a few years ago?I've got to get my hands on that parenting book, it sounds great. I love seeing what other people are reading, gives me ideas for my next kindle downloads! ;-)

I read Garden Spells and fell in love with her. All of her books are just as good. I love the mystical mixed with the romance! If you get a chance, you should read Three Wishes by Liane Morarity. It was funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Enjoy!http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1466455.Three_Wishes

Gah. I feel so uncultured when I read your posts about books you're reading! It's been a loooooonnnnng time sine I've read an entire book, and I think that's embarrassing! I loved reading as a kid. I want to pick it up again. At least like a book or 2 a year, bahaha! I feel way too restless when I'm reading, like I wish I could be multi tasking... so I'm thinking like Allison, How do you listen to books? I feel the same restless, impatience when crocheting (even though I love it, I can't do it for more than 45 minutes at a time) so maybe a solution would be to listen to a book while crocheting? And when do you do most of your reading (what time of day)? So many questions about reading. haha. Halp may!

I download them from the library onto my computer. Definitely helps with the monotony of folding laundry, crocheting, etc. And I usually read during naps or after the kids are in bed. I'm not much of a TV person, which I suppose frees up more reading time, and when I find myself wasting too much time on pinterest, I try to remind myself that I'd rather be reading :-)

Hmm, I appreciate your articulate thoughts on books for book-lovers! I can certainly relate, as I felt the same way about Parnassus on Wheels - fun to hear characters referencing books you love, but as a novel it was rather weak (uninteresting plot, etc.).

Loved your reviews! So engaging, whether you liked the book or not. I'm very intrigued by the parenting one (also in the vast "losing my mind" club), and "Garden Spells" sounds delightful. Popping by from Twitterature :)

I haven't even heard of 84 Charing Cross Road (although I was at that address last autumn during our trip to England!)! Thanks for the recommendation; It looks like an absorbing read - I've ordered it from the library. :)

Over from the Twitterature link up.....was Chris O'Dowd the narrator of Fantastic Mr. Fox? I can hear him as a good narrator. He has a nice voice. All Joy and No Fun sounds good. Neat twist to a parenting book: how do the kids effect *you?* Thanks for sharing!